AUSTIN (KXAN) — After severe weather in the Austin metro from Friday night into Saturday morning, multiple bodies were found in bodies of water.
Just after midnight Saturday, Austin-Travis County EMS Conducted a water rescue operationafter reports of people washing downstream near 5200 Burnet Road next to Shoal and Hancock Creek. The Austin Police Department said the call came in around 12:40 a.m. Saturday.
ATCEMS said at 2:36 a.m. that public safety teams were unable to locate the victim after an extensive search. Saturday evening, the Austin Police Department received a call at 5:22 p.m. reporting a body near the 4600 block of Unity Circle, near Shoal Creek.
The distance between 5200 Burnett Road and the 4600 block of Unity Circle is about 2 miles. The police department said in a press conference that it is still investigating the body of the deceased and it is not clear whether there is a relationship between these two incidents. APD said it will provide more information in the coming days.
Theresa Chatkoff lives near the creek and the bridge that crosses it. She stated that during heavy rains, water levels can rise significantly.
“When it rains — as it did last night and other times — the water can rise a few feet from the bottom of this bridge,” Chatkoff said.
Another person was found dead after Austin police responded to a report of a body found at Lady Bird Lake on Saturday near the intersection of San Antonio Avenue and Cesar Chavez Boulevard.
In a social media update around 3:28 p.m., Austin Police confirmed that one adult died at the scene. APD said the victim has not yet been identified.
KXAN reached out to APD for more details and was also told that four people experiencing homelessness were swept away near a storm drain. Two of the four were rescued, but a man and a woman were swept away and have not been found. It is not clear whether the two people who were swept away are the same dead people who were found on Saturday.
Before severe weather hits metro Austin this weekend, KXAN reached out to the City of Austin about how weather preparedness is being handled for people experiencing homelessness. The city said in a statement:
Outreach teams from Austin-Travis County EMS (ATCEMS) and the city’s Homeless Strategic Office (HSO) spent the day checking low-lying and flood-prone areas in advance of expected severe weather, offering to connect people to shelter and resources, and making sure individuals in at-risk areas are aware of potential dangers.
This is not unique to the citywide initiative that began Monday. Outreach teams routinely provide education to individuals about the dangers of flash floods in low-lying areas and stress the importance of seeking higher ground during heavy rainfall.
As part of our outreach efforts to keep our unhoused neighbors safe, HSO has sent out a text alert through the PEH text notification system to warn individuals of impending weather and potential flooding.
City of Austin
“I grew up in Austin, so I’m used to extreme weather,” Chatkoff said. “It’s still shocking sometimes how threatening it can be.”